whatcha readin'? {goal 48 - books 30 to 35}

well, well, well…
i might actually be
caught up in posting these…

will wonders ever cease?

but i digress.
here’s the newest compilation.

31 THE MARTIAN - ANDY WEIR
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️’s of 5❤️

I read this while we were in NFLD
so every time I think of this book,
I will think of being there. :)

Direct from my notes:
I absolutely LOVED this book.  It made me laugh out loud.  It made me cry.  It made me cheer.  It made me curse.

(and also loved the movie…but not as much as the book)

32 THE CORRESPONDENT - VIRGINIA EVANS
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
(also read in NFLD)

Direct from my notes:
Oh, how I loved this book.  Loved.  The writing was beautiful and it was such an original idea…it also made me laugh out loud in places and I adored the sassy independent main character.  And I also made a list of all the books that were mentioned in this book.  I sense two new projects (letter writing & to read all of those books).  :)

33 OUR PERFECT STORM - CARLEY FORTUNE
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
(started on the way home from NFLD)

Direct from my notes:
I never expect to love these books but I always do.  This one made me want to eat, cook, read, write, read cook books, go to BC, learn about whales, be consumed by someone, watch both versions of little women again, surf.  :D

THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE THE TIME WAR - EL MOHTAR & GLADSTONE
❤️❤️❤️

Beautiful writing but
not gonna lie
I was sooooooo confused.
It did all come together for me
in the end
but time travel always
messes with my brain.

35 THE OUTSIDER - STEPHEN KING
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Direct from my notes:
It has been a long time since I have read a Stephen King book but this was perfect.  The only bad thing about it was that I couldn't read it at bedtime because I am a big baby.  And also, I wish I had read the 3 preceding even though this was also considered to be a standalone book.  I will definitely be adding more Stephen King back into my repertoire.  Loved Holly Gibney.  And Ralph.  And the lawyer…not Bill Samuels though.

and I realize there is an HBO series of this…
but did I mention
I am a big chicken…. 🐔

and that’s pretty much it!
I have one more that I finished
but other than that,
I AM CAUGHT UP!!

well. for today anyway.
don’t set your expectations too high…
i don’t. heehee.
(which should explain a lot……)

whatcha readin'? {goal 48 - books 21 to 25)

Happy long weekend to all!
I hope it was full of family, fun, food and love…
and I hope you got out to see the
beauty of fall for some of it.
Those colors!
Never fails to amaze me.
🍂🍁🪾🥬🌿🍁🍃

*** I don’t think there are any spoilers below
but please proceed with caution….***

But…on to the books!
Here is a short summary of 5 more books
that I have read so far:

21. THE CALAMITY CLUB - Kathryn Stockett
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ out of 5 ❤️’s {June)

direct from my notes:
Oh, this book!
I was enthralled.
At first, I found it dense and I was confused
by who was who and what the connections were
but once I got into it, I was IN.
I could not put it down.
I loved the characters that I loved
but oh, how I HATED the characters I hated.
It was a great story that was both funny and
frustrating as all eff
and I was
shocked
by the afterword at the end.
*I will also add that she also
wrote The Help, which I also loved.
(and yes, the book is in the photo below
but also….let’s take a moment to collectively
drool over that stuffed ice cream cone….)

22. THE ARMOR OF LIGHT - Ken Follett
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️out of 5 ❤️’s {July}

This is a follow up but also standalone book
from the Pillars of the Earth trilogy.
You do not have to have read the trilogy
to understand this story, some of the characters
are mentioned briefly which I liked
as I LOVED the trilogy.
This was soooo good, I literally ate it up in days…
and it was a thick book. 😊
I loved Sal and Kit.
I was rooting for so many people
(& also rooting for the downfall of others).

23. THE DUKE & I - Julia Quinn
❤️❤️❤️❤️out of 5 ❤️’s {July}

I had already watched the series
so had a pretty good idea of the story already
but I did enjoy this
and plan to read the rest
without guilt. 🤫

24. STARDUST - Neil Gaiman
💙💙💙💙💙 out of 5 💙’s (blue = re-read) {July}

I loved this book
the first time I read it
and it had been such a long time since I read it last
that I had forgotten most of it,
so it was like reading it all over again….
which I loved.  :)
Besides, you can’t go wrong with Neil Gaiman,
even Finnegan agrees.

25. MOTHER MARY COMES TO ME - Arundhati Roy
❤️❤️❤️❤️ out of 5 ❤️’s {July}

Direct from my notes after reading:
I was a little hesitant starting this book when I realized that was about the loss of her mother but then realized it was a much more complex, strained relationship than my own.  And also that a great deal of the book would focus on the politics, war, and horrors of her country…those parts of the book were so much harder to read.  How can humans be so awful and cruel and barbaric?  It is astounding.  But then I got to the last chapter where she lost her mother and I sat in the hot sun on the deck in my pink striped pj short set and cried.  :(

And that brings me closer to the goal…
I am currently at 34 of 48
but behind on sharing, as always.